Contested Americanism: The Klan, Public Education, and Popular Resistance, 1915–1932

Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

History

First Advisor

Linda J. Borish, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Wilson Warren, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Robert D. Johnston, Ph.D.

Keywords

Activism, African American, anti-Catholicism, anti-Klan, antisemitism, Ku Klux Klan

Abstract

A common image of the 1920s shows the Ku Klux Klan, draped in American flags, marching through the streets of Washington DC, roughly 50,000 strong, with the Capitol Building as a backdrop. What is often neglected in the historical debate, just one year before the Klan’s rally, was the 100,000 strong Roman Catholic clergy and laypeople rally. Led by flag waving members of the National Catholic Holy Name Society, the rally concluded with a speech by President Calvin Coolidge extolling the virtues of religious liberty, which the Catholics present took as a rebuke of the Klan. Centered around the rhetoric of being a “true American,” the Klan promoted an Americanism that excluded Blacks, Roman Catholics, and people of Jewish descent, all of which frequently advocated for a more inclusive vision of American society. These versions of Americanism can be seen in the discourse between the Klan and various Blacks, Roman Catholic, and Jewish intellectuals and their periodicals. Sometimes calm and theoretical debates prevailed, other times the debate became heated, which then boiled into violence as rhetoric turned to action. This can be seen anti-Klan riots in numerous places such as South Bend, Indiana or Niles, Ohio. While contemporary people tend to emphasize historical events, the rhetoric from all sides, which often focused on concepts of American identity and society, may be the most important aspect of the historical debate.

Furthermore, this study demonstrates, notwithstanding the occasional violent outburst, that most groups who resisted the Klan, resisted them by appeals to their American identity and larger American principles of equality under the law and intellectual liberty. This dissertation also seeks to explore the Klan’s ideology fully, trying to move beyond the common refrain of white supremacy, noting that effective combat against such organizations require a fuller understanding of their thoughts and alleged grievances. Also of special note is the Klan’s attempt to control and manipulate the educational system and mould it for their own means. Both direct action and rhetoric from these groups, as well as the Klan, demonstrates a robust and sometimes violent debate about what it meant to be an American, the role of government, and the proper function of education. The rhetoric from all sides, which frequently centered on ideas of American identity and society, may be the most significant component of the historical dispute, despite the tendency of contemporary people to highlight historical events. It is understanding the debate, or how it was countered, is the most important aspect for societal growth.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Abstract Only

Restricted to Campus until

5-1-2036

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